Better Left for Dead
by VerryBerryTonberry
Summary: Lucy ends up bringing a blood-drenched stranger back to the guild, leaving the entire guild, and even herself, with a lot of questions in their heads. With the next generation still being rather young, Lucy has to wonder if this was the right decision. Set after the main story, with everyone's kids!
1. Prologue

Hello everyone! I'm Berry, and this'll be my first fanfic on here. I'm pretty excited about this, and I hope that you guys can be, too.  
Before I let you guys get into this, I'd like to stress, I NEED SOME HELP with this! This is set with the next generation of Fairy Tail, so we'll be seeing a lot of the kids of the characters we all know and love.

I would absolutely love it if some of you guys could PM me or contact me somehow, and help me create their kids. I was just going to stick to my own guns and make all the characters, but I'm honestly really nervous that I'll do something wrong that a lot of people will disagree with.  
For now, I know for a fact that I want NaLu kids, Gruvia kids, Jerza kids, and Gajevy kids, but I'm still not sure what other pairings I could see having kids of their own further down.

If I don't have any hits in a decent amount of time, I'm going to go ahead and introduce some of the kids next chapter, but I'd much rather have a helping hand in the mix! So please, if you read this, and enjoy it enough to be a part of it, contact me, I'd really appreciate it!

Hope you enjoy the start of the story!

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**Prologue**

Snow settled on the forest floor. Everything around was under a thick coat of the cold, white substance. Soft sobs could be heard over the leaves that rustled in the wind.

A little blue-haired girl sat, her arms draped over the snout of a large, scaly beast, as tears flowed from her eyes. "Mama!" she cried. "I'm so-sorry that I couldn't h-help you. Pl-ple-please, don't le-leave m-me! Ma-mama, come ba-back!" She choked and coughed on her sobs. She looked at the beast through blurred vision, and looked at the thick, red liquid covering her hands and arms. She sobbed even louder. "I-I need you!"

**. . . .**

She traveled aimlessly for what felt like an eternity. She survived however she could. Her once brilliant eyes were now hollow and dead.

She questioned why she continued to live. Why any of this was worth the pain she had suffered. Was this really what she wanted? She stopped moving and stared ahead of her; a long road winded before her, leading to a place she didn't know. The girl hadn't had food in so long, she knew she wouldn't be able to go much further. She'd never make it to the next town.

Despite this, she continued forward. She'd at least get as far as she could. Her bare feet dragged over the dirt of the path, the rocks scrapped the bottoms of her feet. Her tattered clothes did nothing to protect her skin from the burning sun. Everything hurt. This was it.

She would finally join her mother again. So very soon.

The world faded around her.

**. . . .**

When she was conscious again, it was cold. So cold that even she felt the bitter sting. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, but it made no difference. Everything was black.

"You're awake."

The girl jolted upright when she heard the voice. She glanced around, looking for the speaker.

"Jenice Skymaw. I have given you a new life, a new meaning. From this day forward, you will listen to me, and do as I say. You will prove to be useful." A man came into her view; he was tall, and covered from head to toe in a worn, brown cloak. "You have become my Harbinger."

The girl scooted herself back as the man came closer; something about him terrified her. The magic energy that poured out of his body was unbelievable, and he had such an intimidating presence. He was the essence of fear. She couldn't escape the man; her back hit a wall and she was left there to shrink into a ball and cower.

The man stopped just a foot in front of her. He knelt down, and carefully grasped her chin to force her to look up at him. His eyes scanned over her neck, as a black line weaved around it. A smirk graced his lips before he released the girl, straightened himself, and dropped a black scarf on her head.

"I will contact you soon and give you an introduction to your new job. Now leave."

A small noise escaped Jenice's throat. She complied to his order, clumsily getting to her feet and leaving the tower. She ran for as long as she could, not looking back. She hoped to get far enough away from that sinister man, so that she would never hear his first orders.

**. . . .**

Lucy stretched her arms above her as she walked in the general direction of her home. She, Natsu and Happy had just returned from a week-long job, and she was dying for a shower in the comfort of her own home. Natsu and Happy went ahead to the guild to let everyone, mainly her and Natsu's kids, know that they had gotten home safe.

She half expected Natsu to follow her home, like he usually did, but she understood that he was excited to see their children. She was too, but she felt like she hadn't had a proper bath in days, and she also wanted to drop her luggage off at home. The blonde knew her kids wouldn't be at home, so at least she'd have a nice moment of silence, before returning to the guild.

Or so she thought.

Lucy paused when she heard what sounded like choked sobbing mixed with some sort of gurgling. She was a little shocked when the noise suddenly intensified before dying ever so slightly. Alarmed and a little on edge, her hand found its way to the keys on her belt as she looked around for the source of the sobbing.

Sitting in a alley, not too far from hers and Natsu's home, she saw a girl, one hand braced on the wall and the other clawing at her neck, fallen to her knees and doubled over. Blood had began to pool at the girl's knees, coming from her neck, seemingly self-inflicted. The girl's bright, blue hair was a tangled mess, and her emerald eyes were bloodshot from crying. The black scarf around her neck was dark and heavy with blood, and her what was probably once a cute, pink top was just as red as the ground beneath her.

The sight shocked the blonde as she stared, wide-eyed, watching the girl for a moment before she hurried over, and stopped the girl's clawing hand. She girl recoiled, trying to free herself from the stranger's grip, screaming, wide-eyed, and staring in horror at the blonde.

Lucy was startled by the outburst, but kept her grip on the girl's wrist. "Shhhh, shh." She kept her voice low and soft, but made no other move to touch the girl. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you."

The girl's chest went up and down sporadically as uneven breaths caught in her throat. Lucy noticed, then, that her breathing sounded _wet._ Lucy examined the girl's face, finally seeing the blood that dripped from the girls mouth.

That explained the gurgling noises that accompanied the sobbing. How was this girl still alive. Conscious, even. From the looks of it, she had lost an absurd amount of blood. Lucy was sure even Natsu would have troubles staying as alert as this girl seemed to be, if he were in this condition. The girl had clawed _all the way_ to her own esophagus, for god's sake.

"Are—are you okay?"

The girl flinched at hearing Lucy's voice again. She pulled as far away as she could, with Lucy still keeping her hold on her wrist.

Lucy frowned. "Sorry, that's probably not the best question to ask, you're obviously..." Lucy stopped, and frowned. "We need to go get you help." The blonde stood, and waited to see if the girl could stand on her own. She just stayed put, sitting in the puddle of her own blood. "It's okay, I promise, I won't do anything to hurt you," Lucy said. "You can trust me, okay? I really want to get you to someone who can help, I know someone who has great healing magic."

The girl examined the blonde's face, looking for any signs of deceit. Reluctantly, the bluenette got to her feet, wobbling only just a bit before the blonde put and arm around her for support. They began to move and spent just a moment in silence before the blonde started speaking.

"What's your name?" Lucy looked down at the girl and added, "And what happened? Is everything okay?"

The bluenette was silent for a moment. "J-Jen." Her voice was hollow, quiet, and gargled just as her shallow breaths did. Lucy was legitimately surprised the girl could even speak. "Nothing happened, I just…" The girl looked down.

Lucy took the following silence as a queue not to push any further for now.

Man, she had one hell of a story to explain, once she got back to the guild…


	2. Chapter 1

Hey everyone, sorry this took a while to upload, I really wanted to solidify some characters before I really got into it. I'll be introducing the kids a bit at a time, as the story goes on! So look forward to meeting the new generation a little bit at a time!

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**Chapter 1**

The blonde woman had gotten the girl to the guild; Jen was no in the infirmary with their sky goddess. Lucy was speaking to Makarov right outside the door, at the moment.

"I just found her near an alley, close to our house," Lucy explained. "She seemed… distressed? She was clawing at her throat and crying." The blonde looked very troubled by what she saw, and Makarov was one of the first people she wanted to talk to.

The tiny, old man wasn't, technically, the guild leader anymore; Gildarts had finally excepted that position, but Makarov was still practically all-knowing. A lot of members still found themselves confiding in him, with him being like their father. Or grandfather, in the new generation's case.

The old man stroked his chin as he thought. "I've seen the mark on her neck somewhere before, but I can't quite recall where." He gazed at the door. "I'm not sure I quite understand how she made it back to the guild with you, conscious. Alive, even. This is… troubling to say the least."

Lucy frowned, feeling somewhat bad to bring this stranger to the guild; she very well could have been dangerous. "Was it… was it okay to bring her here?"

Makarov smiled reassuringly at Lucy. "Do not worry, child, if she _is_ dangerous, I will not let her harm my children." He paused, before continuing. "Do you have any idea who she could be?"

"She told me her name is Jen, but other than that, nothing." Lucy sighed. "I didn't want to push her too much.

"Of course, she was probably troubles enough." Makarov cleared his throat. "Why don't you go find her something to put on, when she's ready and healed up. I'm sure she doesn't want to roam around in blood-covered clothes."

"Okay, I'll be back soon, then." Lucy gave a small nod before hurrying off.

Makarov took a deep breath, before turning to the infirmary door, and walking in.

Wendy sat at the bedside of the mysterious bluenette, Carla close by, making sure the older woman was alright after the healing session.

"How is she?" Makarov asked.

Wendy blinked up at the retired master, and gave a small, reassuring smile. "She'll be fine, don't worry. It's weird, though, the wound was already healing itself by the time I got to work." Wendy stood, and looked down at the girl. "And it's some kind of miracle she's still alive… She lost so much blood, and there should have been permanent damage to her vocal chords, but… she's as good as new."

Makarov gave a small nod. "Wendy, do not speak of this to anyone else in the guild. As far as everyone else is concerned, it looked worse than it was, and you were able to heal her without any complications, do you hear me?"

Wendy looked puzzled. "Y-yes sir, but… why?"

The old man furrowed his eyebrows, as he moved to get a closer look at the bluenette who was sound asleep. He studied her for a moment, before his eyes reached the black pattern that circled around her neck. "I have my reasons. Reasons that I'm sure everyone will know soon enough."

**. . . .**

"_Have fun explaining this one when you wake up._"

The voice rang in her head. She knew immediately who the voice belonged to. Her eyes fluttered open, and she slowly sat up, so she could look around the room. The pretty, blonde lady had brought her here to get healed, though she knew she didn't need it. Something about the lady drew the bluenette to her, though.

"Ah, you're awake."

Jen started at the voice. She quickly whipped her head around to look at the tiny, old man.

"Do not worry, child, I'm not here to hurt you. My name is Makarov. Lucy, the woman who brought you here, told me you called yourself Jen."

Jen blinked, then slowly nodded her head. "Where am I?"

The old man smiled. "This is the infirmary of Fairy Tail. We're a Mage Guild."

Fairy Tail? Jen repeated that name a few times in her head. It sounded somehow familiar. Was it because of a Mark? No, she never had a mark in the town she was currently in. Where had she heard that name before?

Makarov waited before speaking again. "Could you tell me a bit about yourself?" he asked.

Jen looked at the man again, her eyebrows furrowed. "I'm… I'm just a wandering mage. I was passing through this town when… when…" She fell silent. How was she supposed to explain what had happened?

Makarov examined Jen's expression. He wasn't sure if it was a look of deep thought, or confusion. Or perhaps, even both. "Is there something wrong?"

Jen jumped a bit at the question. "N-no, it's just… I don't… I was…" She frowned and placed the heel of her hands on her temples.

"Do you not remember?"

Well, the way she was acting, that could surely be a valid excuse. She took another moment like this, before dropping her hands.

"I don't."

**. . . .**

Lucy sat down at the bar and sighed; she had ended up getting some of her daughter's clothes for Jen to wear, for now. They were about the same size, though Jen was probably a good four or more inches shorter than the blonde's daughter.

Mira smiled at Lucy as she scrubbed away at a mug. "Master told us that the girl was okay, shortly before you came back."

Lucy gave a short nod. "He told me that, when I brought the clothes, but… he claims she has amnesia." Lucy's eyebrows furrowed. "She was trying to rip her throat out, not trying to bash her head in."

"Something like that sounds like it could have been caused by something very traumatic." Mira set the mug down. "You're worried about the kids, aren't you?"

"Maybe." The blonde gave the white haired beauty a concerned look. "I know they're old enough to take care of themselves, now, but if I brought someone here that could put them in danger…"

"It'll be fine, Lucy!" Mira gave the woman a reassuring smile. "Like you said, they can all take care of themselves now. Blaze is eighteen now, right? And Ruby is only two years younger than him, and not to mention, they've both already surpassed their father when he was their age. I Blaze will even be selected to be in the Trial this year."

Lucy couldn't help but smile at that; her two kids had come so far. Though she was still slightly disappointed neither had inherited her connection to the spirits. They couldn't even manage to summon Plue. But having three Fire Dragon Slayers was somewhat reassuring… and a little destructive. Thankfully only one of them, her youngest, Ruby, had inherited Natsu's destructive nature. Blaze, while yes, he could be a hothead, was a lot calmer, and more calculative, like Lucy. She knew, if Blaze really _did_ make it into the S-Class Trial this year, he had a good shot at winning.

The guild doors burst open, and Lucy turned to see a trio walk in. In the front of the trio was a girl of about average height with messy, pink, hair and large, chocolate brown eyes. She was laughing at something the girl next to her said. The girl was about the same height as the first, and had long, wavy, blue hairy with droopy, blue eyes. She had to small pigtail on either side of her head, with small bows holding them in place. To the opposite side of the leader was a tall guy with messy, shoulder-length, black hair, and piercing red eyes. He was grinning at whatever the comment was.

Soon after the trio, another pink-haired person followed in, and adult man, who grinned when he saw Lucy.

"Hey Luce, sorry I wasn't here when ya got back, I heard Ruby and the others were due to come back today."

"It's alright, Natsu, I actually didn't notice you were gone," Lucy replied with a small smile. Natsu pouted in response.

"Mama!" The pink-haired girl hurried over to the blonde, and grinned the same grin as Natsu. "Another success!"

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "How much damage?"

"Maybe a building… or two."

The blonde sighed. "I'd expect nothing less from you, Ruby." She smiled at her daughter, before looking to the blue haired girl, who was looking around the guild, probably looking for her brother or parents. "Did they cause a lot of trouble, Joan?"

Joan turned her attention to the adult. "As much as usual. Jojo is used to it by now. There's not much else one can expect from two dragon slayer spawns."

Ruby puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms. "Yeah, well, most of the damage was caused by Gale this time around," she commented under her breath.

The black-haired youth put a hand onto of Ruby's head, and pushed her down a bit to make her shorter. "It was about the same, Pinkie."

Lucy narrowed her eyes at the two. "Now don't start fighting, you two."

"Jojo hates to interrupt, but are Jojo's parents or brother here?" The bluenette cut in.

Mira looked up from the plate she had just placed in front of Natsu. "Gray and Juvia are doing a job right now. As for Silver, I think he's at home. He and Blaze got into a big fight yesterday, and just about wrecked the whole guild. He'll probably be dropping by sometime soon."

Joan furrowed her eyebrows. "Jojo will go find him and drag him here, then." Before anyone could object, the girl left the guild in a huff.

Ruby blinked after the girl, not sure whether she was used to her partner's brother complex or not. Her attention was pulled to Gale, when he tapped on her shoulder.

"You smell that?"

"Smell?" Ruby sniffed the air, then looked at her father, suddenly confused. "What the hell is that smell?"

Natsu, who had taken a seat next to Lucy, stood. "Is that blood?" He leaned down, and took a sniff at Lucy. "It's all over you, too. Can't believe I didn't notice sooner."

"Oh!" Lucy looked as if she had a sudden realization. "I almost forgot, on the way home, I found a girl near our house. She was in pretty bad shape, so I brought her back with me."

Natsu raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "What happened?"

Lucy frowned. "I'm not quite sure. When I found her, she was clawing out her own throat. It looked pretty bad, to be honest, but… I think she's going to be okay?"

Gale crossed him arms. "The blood wasn't the only thing I was talking about," he stated. "Ruby, you caught it, too, right? I don't recognize the scent, but it's nothing normal."

Ruby nodded. "Mmhmm, but if I had to describe it, I guess it kind of smells like death? With maybe a hint of ice cream?"

Natsu took another sniff. "I mainly just smell blood." He stood there for a minute, trying to catch the scent that his daughter and her friend were talking about, and then suddenly, it all hit him in a strong wave, all at once. He almost chocked on the smell, but his eyes widened when he caught another tiny scent mixed with the death and ice cream Ruby had described. It smelled like a dragon. The adult snapped his head over to the stairs.

Jen slowly descended down the stairs, constantly being egged on my Makarov. She had grown incredibly nervous the moment she had caught the scent of what smelled like a dragon. Her hands and knees shook as she took one step at a time; her head was lowered, as to not catch anyone's eye. She hadn't seen another dragon since her mother had died, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to face one of the species that she had…

She froze, and took the moment to stare at her hands. They were still slightly stained from her own blood, but it wasn't her blood she saw. It was the blood that stained her hands when she was a child. She took a deep breath, shook her head, and slowly looked up. The first set of eyes she met was Lucy's worried, chocolate ones.

Said blonde stood, and approached the two. "Master, how is she?"

Makarov cleared his throat. "How many times do I have to tell you numbskulls not to call me that anymore." The old man sighed, and looked up to Lucy. "She claims she has amnesia. She only remembers who she is. She won't tell me anything beyond that." He spared a glance at Jen. "I'd say she's probably around fifteen or sixteen, so I think she could get along with your and everyone else's children."

Lucy turned her eyes back to Jen, and slowly reached out to Jen. She didn't quite touch her before she withdrew her hand. "Hey, how're you feeling?"

Jen stared at Lucy. She was truly amazed how this person could be so worried for a total stranger she knew nothing about. The bluenette scoffed and looked at her feet. "I'm better now," she almost whispered. She folded her hands together and twiddled her thumbs. "Please don't mind what happened earlier."

Lucy frowned. The girl sounded so drained, and she looked so lifeless.

"She'll be staying here, at Fairy Tail, for the time being," Makarov said. "I've requested she stay, to make sure she is, in fact better." He looked at Lucy. "Would you mind taking her into your home?"

Lucy looked shocked, then glanced at her husband. He was staring skeptically at Jen, trying to make heads or tails of the girl. He must not have caught what Makarov had said. Lucy looked back to Makarov and nodded. "I don't mind for now. I mean, if that's okay with you, Jen." She turned her attention back to said girl, who just stared at her feet. The blonde sighed at the silence. "It should be fine, then."

"Thank you, Lucy. Also, before you head home for the day, I'll need to speak with you. Hopefully Gildarts will have returned from his meeting before then." Makarov looked at Jen and gave her a smile. "Please, make yourself at home. You can consider all of the people of this guild part of your family, now."

Jen's head twitched at the old man's words. She looked down at the man, then up and around at the curious onlookers, before her eyes locked with Lucy's.

Lucy gave Jen a smile of her own, but she couldn't help but notice the look of longing in Jen's eyes. It was only for an instant, but she saw it. Did the girl not have a family? He blonde wouldn't press the bluenette for answers, but she knew the girl must have had an agonizing past behind her.


End file.
